“I wish I didn't have to deal with these dryland corners on my fields. They are more trouble than they are worth.”

This offhand remark from a farmer has led to a full-fledged research initiative at Farming Smarter to explore how farmers manage these tricky, often-overlooked portions of irrigated fields.

The new project is entitled No Cutting Corners: Realizing the Sustainable Potential of Dryland Corners.

Ashley Wagenaar, Conservation Agronomist at Farming Smarter, is super excited to explore farms' different strategies for managing these areas.

She believes they can provide value to anyone interested in changing their approach or seeking advice on managing these areas differently.

An upcoming event in Airdrie aims to help livestock producers build stronger relationships with their veterinarians, an important but sometimes overlooked part of a successful operation.

Organized by Ashley Nicholls of REACH Agriculture Strategies, the session will explore effective communication strategies between producers and veterinarians and highlight how technology is reshaping animal health management.

Nicholls says two featured speakers will offer diverse insights into the field.

Like crops weathering droughts and downpours, women in agriculture are rising through uncertainty and leading with resilience.

At the recent Advancing Women in Agriculture conference, Dr. Cami Ryan, Senior Business Partner for Industry Affairs and Sustainability at Bayer Crop Science Canada, spoke with Rural Roots Canada about her talk, "The Heat is On! Resiliency and Leadership in Ag." Ryan said she never planned for a career in agriculture, but stressed that we all have to grow where we're planted.

"I would have been the least likely person to end up in this space, but I did," she said. "So, really, the message is, if I can do it, anybody else can do it, too."

Canadian farmland rental rates remained relatively stable in 2024, despite another significant rise in land values, according to a report from Farm Credit Canada (FCC).

Nationally, the average rent-to-price ratio, which measures the return on rented land relative to its market value, dropped slightly to 2.50%, nearly unchanged from 2.52% in 2o23. This indicates that rental rates haven't kept pace with the 9.3% increase in farmland values recorded over the previous year.

The report, which focuses on cash rental agreements, shows regional differences in rental markets across Canada. In Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, rental rates have adjusted more quickly to land value increases. Other provinces saw little to no change in rental prices.

An updated Canadian drought monitor has been issued, and for most of Alberta, conditions have eased. West Central Alberta, from Olds to Nordegg, is no longer in drought thanks to recent rain.

Southeastern Alberta received between 85 and 200% of normal precipitation in April. But the news was not as good for Southwestern Alberta, where conditions worsened, and part of the region is now considered to be an extreme drought.

That region, the Southern foothills, the snowpack there, below average, soil is dry, surface water levels are low. According to the drought monitor, the St. Mary Reservoir is only at 64% capacity, the Old Man, 57%, and Waterton, just 40%. After a dry April, parts of the Lakeland region are considered abnormally dry, but not yet in drought. Now, conditions could improve between now and the end of the month with up to 90 millimeters of rain, projected by some computer models to fall between now and the end of the month in the southwestern foothills, the area hardest hit by drought.

Alberta (Rural Roots Canada) – Canadian Road Safety Week is underway, and throughout rural Alberta, drivers are being urged to stay alert for farm machinery when travelling along the province’s roads.

“Those are large pieces of equipment on the highway, and being aware of them and driving safely around them is critical,” says Jody Wacowich, executive director of AgSafe Alberta. “Right now, all of our farmers are out there moving seeders and other big equipment, trying to get the job done in between rainstorms and whatever else happens.”

Wacowich says patience goes a long way when you’re stuck behind slow-moving machinery. “Yeah, they’re moving slow, but they’re not going to be on the road for that long. Just be patient with them and let them get to where they’re going, especially if the conditions aren’t allowing you to pass or get around them very easily. Take a breath, give it a minute or two.”

Alberta (Rural Roots Canada) – Rocky Mountain Equipment (RME) has launched the 2025 Right by You Ag Society Grant, a community initiative that awards $10,000 each to four agricultural societies across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

Cory Flett, Marketing and Communications Manager for RME, says the company is committed to giving back to the communities where employees and customers live and work.

“We feel these ag societies are a large part of the fabric in these communities, and often are the social hubs with rodeos and various other events that they host,” says Flett. “We feel it’s important to keep those alive.”

A new agriculture event is making its debut in southern Alberta in June.

The Cypress Farm and Ranch Show will take place June 12–14 in Medicine Hat, coinciding with the World Professional Chuckwagon Races, which are being held in the city at the same time.

Krissy Fiddler, part of the event’s organizing team, says the region is overdue for a show that brings together both the farming and ranching communities.

In this Prairie Weather this Week report, we take a look at the forecast for NE Alberta.

In this Prairie Weather this Week report, we take a look at the forecast for Central Alberta.